November 8, 1498, Age of the Sea Circle
After sailing tirelessly for ten days, Orion finally reached the island Hanafuda had told him about. To his surprise, he found that there was a Named Character here named Gab.
However, the situation wasn't as simple as he would have liked, because as he got close enough to the island, he also spotted a small fleet of ships anchored along the shore.
These ships didn't belong to the Navy, nor did they bear the classic pirate Jolly Roger, leaving their origin a mystery.
Orion decided to investigate further. Stowing his small sailboat into the system's inventory, he used Geppo + Pocket Dimension to infiltrate one of the ships and search its interior.
The moment he stepped onto the deck, he sensed several people aboard through his Observation Haki, immediately adopting a stealthier stance. He roamed through the large vessel, inspecting each corner with curiosity, and before long, he had gathered enough information to pass judgment on the nature of these people: they were slavers.
During his travels, Orion hadn't run into many slavers, since this line of work, while extremely lucrative, also required vast logistics and carried significant risks.
Not just anyone could simply decide to become a slaver the way one might become a pirate.
Kidnapping people and selling them as slaves wasn't unheard of—pirates, mercenaries, and even individual criminals did it—but operating on a large scale was a much more difficult endeavor. That was why slaving wasn't as widespread a "profession" as others.
Inside the ship he had just explored, Orion found several storage holds packed with cages, ready to transport a large number of people—a clear sign of the intentions of those who had come to Moai Island.
According to Hanafuda, there was a tribe here that lived somewhat isolated from the outside world, so Orion immediately concluded that this tribe was about to face a tragedy.
He didn't know how powerful the people of this island were, but slavers operating in the Grand Line were likely to be on the upper end of this world's power spectrum. Of course, there were always exceptions, but Orion doubted he'd be lucky enough to run into one here.
Deciding there was no time to lose, he sped toward the distant island, where a battle had already been raging for hours.
…
Slash!
Thud
The body of one of the shamans collapsed lifelessly to the ground after being cut down by a slaver's blade.
"Fuck! Don't kill them, you damn idiot! How are we supposed to make money if you finish them off?!" shouted one of the slavers, exasperated by his comrade's actions.
"Haa… haa… I had no choice! This damn animal was about to take me out! Our intel didn't say anything about these weird powers they use!" the slaver protested, trying to justify killing the shaman.
They had come here on a commission from someone in the World Government, having received both funding and information about their target. They had prepared thoroughly and come to do the job, knowing full well that if they screwed it up, they'd be wiped off the face of the earth. But upon arrival, they had discovered that the natives of this island were far stronger than they had anticipated!
Several of their comrades had already been killed in combat, and if it weren't for the sheer number of troops they'd brought, they would have been wiped out by the strange abilities of the "animals" they were hunting this time.
As for why they called these people "animals," it was simply a mechanism to dehumanize them—something their slaving company had been using for years. It was almost a form of self-hypnosis through suggestion, allowing them to carry out their work without letting unwanted thoughts or emotions surface.
After so long in the trade, few within the company felt any empathy toward those they captured, but no matter how far they had fallen as human beings, they were still people—and that meant they could have moments of weakness when committing the atrocities they were accustomed to.
For that reason, the terms "animal" or "prey" were the way they referred to their victims—regardless of whether they were small children, elderly people, or women—in their eyes, they were nothing more than beasts.
"Quit whining, rookie. This is how the job is! If you don't like it, you can go back to plowing fields!" barked another slaver nearby, overhearing the indignant young man's complaints.
The natives of this island weren't very numerous—only about 500 in total—and those who could fight were even fewer. Around 100 adult men could fight bravely and put up some resistance, while the rest lacked the strength to make a difference and were simply taking refuge in the rear, staying out of the conflict.
Even so, the only reason they had been able to barricade themselves in their village for several hours was the presence of the group of shamans, who led the defensive forces with their mysterious spiritual abilities.
In this community, shamans were an almost divine existence, as they were in contact with the spirits of the dead and, through them, with their gods. They could not only foresee future events but also wield combat abilities that were almost magical.
The slavers attacking at the front with their swords suddenly stepped aside, and another group advanced from the rear carrying large hand-held cannons, similar to bazookas.
Boom!
They immediately opened fire on the shamans in the first line of defense, but before the projectiles could reach them, the shamans joined their hands and emitted visible waves of energy from their bodies, instantly destroying the projectiles and filling the sky with massive explosions.
"Move in now! Don't stop! They're about to collapse—bring the nets!" ordered one of the slaver leaders.
Immediately, another group emerged carrying cannons similar to the previous ones, but this time, when they fired, they didn't launch regular projectiles—they launched nets!
The nets shot forward at high speed and successfully captured two of the shamans, who were completely exhausted.
"See? I told you they're about to collapse! Keep the pressure, advance!" said the slaver with a triumphant grin, and his men began shouting excitedly, responding to his words.
The balance of the battle had shifted, and now the slavers had the upper hand, while the shamans and the rest of the tribe's warriors were being gradually suppressed.
"Gab! You have to act now! Before it's too late!" shouted one of the elder shamans, who was the master of the young apprentice Gab.
Gab's case was quite unique. He was the most talented person ever to appear in this civilization. Even in ancient records dating back thousands of years, there was no other talent that could compare to his. It could be said that Gab had been born to be a shaman!
However, perhaps the universe itself had intervened to balance things out, giving Gab a fatal weakness: his timidity!
Gab had the greatest talent, but he couldn't exercise it due to his timid and fearful personality. Shamans gained their powers through interaction with the spirits of nature and their ancestors, but Gab was afraid of both!
According to the boy, ghosts were what scared him the most, and even though the village elders had explained to him time and again that these ghosts were spirits there to help him, and that he could control them with his shaman powers, the boy remained completely unwilling and had never managed to unleash his great talent.
Now that the situation against the invading forces was utterly unfavorable, the shamans' only hope was for Gab to step forward and break out of his shell, revealing his full power. If he could demonstrate his talent, he could wield a force far greater than what all of them together could muster, and this group of invaders would be unable to defend against it!
Gab, watching from a distance, trembled slightly, but upon seeing the desperate expressions on the faces of his loved ones—especially on the face of Hada, whom he had secretly loved throughout his childhood—Gab gathered all his courage and stepped toward the enemy with his eyes closed, calling upon the dark spirits that inhabited these lands.
In truth, no one here could understand Gab's suffering—not even the other shamans—for they couldn't imagine the way he perceived the world.
The fact that he possessed the greatest shamanic talent was not a blessing for him, but rather the most terrible curse.
The shamans in the village could communicate with spirits and gain mysterious powers, and so they believed Gab was wasting his great talents, which was true. However, what they didn't know was that Gab's immense talent allowed him to see, with the naked eye, the spirits of this world—not only the benign ones that shamans used to gain powers, but also the hostile ones!
That's right, Gab had been tormented since he was a small child by the most terrifying visions. All kinds of spirits had appeared before him—some kind and luminous, but others were creatures straight out of the most horrible nightmares!
These negative spirits not only frightened him in his daily life but could also harm him physically. It was impossible for Gab, who had grown up with such experiences, to embrace his gifts willingly, and his fear of ghosts was perfectly justified.
It wasn't easy to rid oneself of traumas rooted in the mind since early childhood. It was true that with his talent, he could subdue all spirits, but that wouldn't happen without training—and he simply didn't have the courage to take the first step.
Now that he was caught between a rock and a hard place, Gab had no choice but to take that first step, forced into it to protect what mattered to him. For the first time in his life, the timid and fearful boy, who always wore a gentle expression, shouted with force, his face twisted in anger.
The spirits in the vicinity began to converge at a single point, "forced" by Gab's will, and then started to transform into energy that was clearly visible in the realm of the living. The scene was similar to when the group of shamans had joined forces to launch an attack, but the intensity was far greater—and Gab was doing it all by himself!
The energy gathered in his mouth, forming shockwaves, and then burst out at high speed, as if Gab's scream had transformed into pure energy.
The slavers stared in terror at the wave of energy rushing toward them, their bodies seeming to freeze under the presence of such mysterious and majestic power. It felt as if they stood before a god, even though it was clearly the attack of one of the "animals" they had come to capture.
The young rookie slaver, the one who had been complaining earlier about the faulty information given by his employers, watched as Gab's attack struck his companions, vaporizing their bodies instantly.
Three entire ranks of slavers vanished under Gab's assault, reduced to dust by the massive energy wave, leaving behind only a few feet on the ground as the sole proof they had ever existed.
The sight was truly horrifying. In a single instant, the attack from the "animal" they had come to capture had obliterated at least a hundred people, and the remaining feet—untouched by the waves—proved they hadn't been transported somewhere else or anything of the sort; they had simply been pulverized. Erased from existence.
A deep fear gripped the young slaver, spreading through his whole body, and without a second thought, he turned and began to run!
Who would willingly march to certain death when there was an enemy before them capable of such powerful and mysterious attacks?
However, at that moment, the voice of the slaver leader rang out again:
"Stop! Don't run now. If you flee, you'll be annihilated by the nobles anyway! Look—the enemy is weakened!" There was a trace of fear in his tone, but his experience allowed him to keep his composure.
Hearing their leader's words, the fleeing slavers glanced back without slowing and saw Gab kneeling on the ground, breathing heavily, utterly exhausted and pale.
Immediately, their flight stopped as they considered his words.
It was true—if they ran now and failed to complete their mission to capture these animals, they were finished, as the nobles of the World Government would be furious and take their anger out on them. Running away had never been an option.
It was ironic—these slavers called the people they were here to capture "animals," but in truth, they themselves were the cattle, ready to be culled at any time by their masters if deemed useless.
The shamans snapped out of their shock after witnessing Gab's tremendous attack, and seeing the boy completely drained, they stepped forward to protect him. It was true that he was the most talented among them, but this was the first time he had used his powers actively, and after such an immense attack, there was no way he could continue fighting immediately. Perhaps one day, with time and training, he could control his abilities and become formidable, but for now, this was his limit.
The rest of the shamans would now have to defend their home and pray Gab could recover quickly enough to return to the fight.
Facing the slavers who had charged at them, eyes bloodshot with fear and the desire to survive, the shamans clasped their hands once more, activating their mysterious powers and beginning another round of battle.
…
Meanwhile, Orion was following the route marked on the map Hanafuda had given him, heading toward Gab's village. Even though the marker on the map showed the location he needed to reach, it was good to have an officially explored path—it saved him the headache of running into impassable or troublesome terrain.
"Will you be able to come soon?" Orion asked, speaking through the Den Den Mushi.
"Of course, Orion-boy! You're in luck, 'cause I'm pretty close, heee-haaww!" Ivankov replied in his usual eccentric manner.
"Excellent, thanks, Iva. It's good to have allies at times like these," Orion said with a smile, thinking about how he was no longer fighting alone in this world. At least now he had allies like the people of the Revolutionary Army, and in the future, when the forces of his own kingdom matured, he would have his own faction to back him in all his endeavors.
"Oooh! You're always so sweet, Orion-boy. Maybe I'll give you a reward when I see you! Or not! Hee-haw!"
Orion chatted a bit more with Ivankov as he continued toward Gab's village, and finally, after agreeing on a few details, he ended the call.
This time, he had called Iva to help him with the villagers and the slavers. Orion didn't know if he could handle all the slavers here on his own, but even if he could, the people of this island would still be in danger.
Orion had seen important information aboard the ship he had infiltrated: a document bearing the seal of the Celestial Dragons.
If these slavers were working for the Celestial Dragons, then the people of this island were doomed. The detestable nobles of the World Government wouldn't sit idly by. Even if Orion managed to drive away these slavers, the nobles would simply send more until they got what they wanted.
And if the slavers failed… perhaps they would send something even more terrifying to fulfill their whims.
That was why Orion had reached out to Ivankov, the commander of the Revolutionary Army's Grand Line branch, to ask for help with the situation facing the people of this island.
If the Revolutionary Army intervened, maybe these people could be saved—even if it meant abandoning their land in the process.
If his Space Gate ability had been active, Orion might have considered sending them to his kingdom, but that wasn't possible now, and he didn't think it wise to attempt such a long journey back to the South Blue bringing them with him.
Luckily, Ivankov was relatively close, so they could take care of the situation before the World Government could act again.
Of course, that meant Orion had to deal with this group of slavers right now.
After running at full speed for half an hour, Orion arrived at the outskirts of Gab's village, where a fierce battle was underway. From high in the trees, Orion saw slavers capturing the natives of the island one after another.
They had managed to break through the defensive line and enter the village, where they were seizing defenseless people who had no means of fighting back.
On the other hand, a few warriors were still on their feet, fighting against the slavers, but it was clear they wouldn't last much longer before being overwhelmed.
One small group in particular caught Orion's attention—they were dressed in colorful robes and were using strange attacks he had never seen before.
His "Prism Eyes" ability suddenly activated, and the group of shamans lit up with a faint pink glow. The light extended slightly around them, as if some mysterious energy surrounded them, aiding them in battle.
Then, off to the side, Orion saw something that immediately drew his attention. There stood a single young man, covered in wounds yet still standing, his body glowing with an intense violet hue.
It was obvious he belonged to the same type of mysterious entity as the pink-glowing group, but the sheer intensity of the color around and even within his body made Orion instantly aware of how exceptional his existence was.
Without a doubt, that had to be the Named Character Gab.
Gab saw Hada thrown to the ground by two slavers, who were about to put a collar on her, and with fury he shouted once more.
The veins on his neck bulged, looking ready to burst, but what exploded instead was condensed shamanic energy, striking the two slavers who were subduing Hada and sending them flying through the air.
Unlike his first attack, which had been utterly terrifying, his subsequent strikes had not been nearly as powerful—they could cause severe injuries at best, but no longer had the capacity to instantly pulverize a person.
This had greatly encouraged the slavers, who began attacking with less fear and greater ferocity, leading to the current situation, where they were about to completely overpower these stubborn animals.
From the ground, Hada watched as Gab was seized by a group of slavers, who put a collar on him before the exhausted boy could defend himself. All the natives were at their limit, with no strength left to resist.
Hada's eyes began to blur with tears. In that moment, she wished she had had the courage to confess her feelings to the gentle, timid boy who had been her childhood friend. Now, perhaps, she would never have the chance. Who knew what horrible fate awaited them?
But just as despair began to consume her, the image she was seeing now through her eyes overlapped perfectly with the vision she had experienced days earlier. And in the next moment, a powerful cry echoed through the air, almost like an angry roar:
"Kamusari!"
...
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